The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-09-17
MARGARET lIATHER.

MARGARET .MATHER.
HER FIRST APPEARANCE HERE.
She Makes u Decidedly Favorable Impres.
sion In Decidedly Unpopular p,ay--Tho
Audience Delighted = Something OF
her Famous Fall In "Jalle.."
l.. w - ----.---. ~ i{f.
Wheeling people have heard q great
deal Of Margaret Mather, and tho dis.
eliminating audience which gathered In
the Opera Honao last evening on the 90.
caslon Of her first appearance here ex.
pected much Of her. "!Lsah, the For.
Baken," Is not a good play 10 make a
pleasing impression. II Is too full Of tho
terrible, tho sad, the narrowing to give
delight. 1h choice on Miss Mathe.'s In.
PRODUCTION TO Wheeling was doubtless
meant as a challenge. She proposed to
compel people to admire her talent. A
play which was neither new nor pleasing
left no room for any triumph except by
making II both new aud pleasing by tho
way In which II was enacted. Thia Miss
Mather did. 4 Az i;.sEl,. Il',,l..s,I7'71I0
Had she presented last nigh! her most
famous Characterization, juliet, or the en-.
tertaining comedy Of Tobin's which Is on
the bills ior tonight, 1.-THE Honey moon"
tho impreasiona with which her auditors
left the house would have been mixed
enjoyment OF the play aud admiration for
her acting. AZ 1t Is, ahe has conquered
Wheeling by her genius. unaided, except
by good support. Tho selection Of Leah
showed self.conHdence; the result juatihed
that confidence.
AS tho tender trusting jewish maiden
Miss Ma.her was charming and aa.isfsc.
tory. In the terror Of the opening scene
she showed como signs Of tho greatness
which waa manifest in the third and
fourth acts. Her parting with Rudolph
and her fearful duplication WAS affecting.
ly real tho curae and death wero horribly
so. Indeed, II any csi,icism saggeats
itself 1t is that the finale would bs more
artistic II less natural. Misa Ma!her has
unusual power for woman Of her stature.
Shehasrare,i intelligence and she has under.
gone effective training. 70 sum up, her
performance last night sustained hss
fame. ','~ e
The support Is mostly excellent. MI.
Levick as tho apostate Nathan WAS great.
Mir. Paulding as Rudolph was graceful and
at times showed strength. Misc Thomp.
son 60 Madeiena was at all times pleasing
and once or twice fairly won hearty up.
plauss. The other principa! characters
were in good hands, and as q whole the
performance was fairly well balanced and
effective. The audience was appreclative,
but hard to warm. The ,enthusiasm
aroused towards the last waa spontan.
eous tribute to power which grew on
the audience till the end. gyS sfE 'jg
This afternoon "Romeo and Juliet
! will be presented, and this evening "The
Honeymoon" In the former play Miss
Mather has fall in tho potion ecene
which is almost as famous as Sarah Bsrn.
hardt's fall OF this piece Of acrobato.
histrionic art Tho St. Louis POsl Dispatch
says: - y 7. !.
Some people may delule themselves
into the belief that there Is no occasion
Tor q miecalculntion to Miss Mathor's fall.
But there is. Calculation has no part nor
lot in 1t. pE = M 5@
It Is fall where trusting faith lets 20
ell holds. e Providence and bring.up.
when-you.can play utar engagements.
It is fall in one lucky hit, four bounces
and sis rolls, Ono mistake in the com.
bination' may lesd to anywhere. It hap
psned to lead to tho foot-lighta last even
ing. The wonder Of the audience is thst
it doesn't lead to surgical operation
or funeral. b, 5s5N. ssl sJ15 +.
When Sara Bernhard originated the
modern stage fall che never dreamed Of
Miss Mather's attainmeuts in the cams
direction. <. jr1, ~. g 5.slss7'l.
! This is q wrinkle in stage acsobatics
which breaks thsrocord and stands among
stsgs falls aa the feasof going over Niagara
to padding in bath tub. So
Bernhard Topped on o cola and caromed
to the floor with The suppleness and grace
Of q billiard cue. She went ct it with
tight muscles and got her dull th1d and
applause. Davenport followed Bernhardta
load and also took the sofa, and was Eat.
isfed with ono thud. E II
Modjeska in her Siberian bloodhound
nelo.dsema wears out couch and dents
the floor with her bumps. Still she gets
only one thump, and the olenout OF COM
bination 10 lacking. I.',a s3r'ssss's ~
Mather coca beyond thom all. She
takes flight Of steps to do her falling and
runs gauntlet Of fearful risks. In doesn't
require any properties, only friendly
curtain, some steps and stopping place.
It saves the stage sofa, but is hard on
Mcthcr, tho curtain, tho steps and the
floor. .3s,.,. s5..t-! SO. u.
After drinking the potion, she feels
tho effect OF the drug and waveya around
in On uncertain way. Then she suddenly
remembers that ROMEO had recently been
st the balcony window, and, in a dezad
manner, ataggers up the steps. The au.
dielce thinks this queer thing to at
tempt in her condition, but trusts to luck
to bring her out aiivs. They 10 in blind
aud wait With breathless interest. One
can hear a pin drop in the house. The
actress leans on the easement, gives a
sigh or two for Romeo, breatheo his name,
snd-well, description stops at this point
and wabbles aimlessly for words. She
makeB a wild clutch at the curtain, fails
to ! resch, swings her arms, her
1.-the form, outlined in , the clinging
draperies, totters, then lurches to
one side, brings up and swings around in
q frantic search for something substantial,
Nothing is found and it gives up tho
struggle with collapse, which rakes tho
curtain, thumps the lsot step, "shasssys"
to the next, bounces to another, l;ps over
and grazss the last and strikes the floor
with q rotary motion which sends her
whirliuS over the stage and round5 her
up limp and touslsd with her drees tangled
and twisted around her plump limbs and
outst1e.ched body. Il. .5,-.',-.i
!. It ie G fall with the geniuu Of daring in
it, and 10 tho reigning sensation Of the
acrobstic drama. s.2 f9iisS s.ss&#I5
To say the audience is surpr;ued only
hints at tho u3rvat}inp amnt;nn fts-.' 1t,57.'